Contact lens and method of manufacture to improve sensor sensitivity

• US 9,176,332 B1
• Filed: 10/24/2012
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twenty Twenty Therapeutics, LLC
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Etzkorn, James, Linhardt, Jeffrey George
• Primary Examiner(s): MAI, HUY KIM
• Application Number:
  US13/659,302
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 351/158, 351/159.02, 351/159.03, 351/159.73, 351/159.74
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00038 Production of contact lenses
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00807 Producing lenses combined with electronics, e.g. chips
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 2202/16 Laminated or compound lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/04 Contact lenses for the eyes disinfection or sterilisation of contact lenses A61L12/00

Abstract

Contact lenses and methods of manufacture are provided. A contact lens can include: an electronics substrate having components formed thereon and disposed within a contact lens forming (CLF) polymer, wherein a first one of the components is positioned at a first region of the electronics substrate and a second one of the components is positioned at a second region of the electronics substrate, the second region being opposite the first region; and a plurality of CLF polymer layers molded such that the plurality of CLF polymer layers has a first thickness in a region of the electronics substrate associated with the first one of the components and has a second thickness in a region of the electronics substrate associated with the second one of the components.

Claims

1. A contact lens, comprising:

an electronics substrate having a first component and a second component formed on or within the electronics substrate, wherein the first component is positioned at a first location of the electronics substrate and the second component is positioned at a second location of the electronics substrate, wherein the first location is different from the second location; and

a contact lens forming polymer (CLF polymer) encapsulating at least a portion of the electronics substrate, wherein the CLF polymer is molded such that the CLF polymer has a first thickness in a region of the electronics substrate associated with the first component and has a second thickness in a region of the electronics substrate associated with the second component, wherein the first thickness is different from the second thickness, such that the region of the electronics substrate associated with the first component is positioned closer to a surface of the contact lens than the region of the electronics substrate associated with the second component.

2. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the electronics substrate is substantially ring-shaped.

3. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first component or the second component is an integrated circuit.

4. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the electronic substrate is substantially rectangular in shape.

5. The contact lens of claim 1, wherein the substrate is planar.

6. A contact lens, comprising:

an electronics substrate having at least two components formed on or within the electronics substrate, wherein a first one of the at least two components is positioned at a first region of the electronics substrate and a second one of the at least two components is positioned at a second region of the electronics substrate, the second region being opposite the first region; and

a plurality of contact lens forming polymer (CLF polymer) layers molded such that the plurality of CLF polymer layers has a first thickness in a region of the electronics substrate associated with the first one of the at least two components and has a second thickness, different from the first thickness, in a region of the electronics substrate associated with the second one of the at least two components, wherein the electronics substrate is disposed within the plurality of CLF polymer layers.

7. The contact lens of claim 6, wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness.

8. The contact lens of claim 6, wherein the first thickness is approximately 100-300 microns and the second thickness is approximately 5-50 microns.

9. The contact lens of claim 6, wherein the at least two components comprise a sensor and a chip.

10. The contact lens of claim 9, wherein the first one of the at least two components is the sensor and the second one of the at least two components is the chip.

11. The contact lens of claim 6, wherein the electronics substrate is substantially ring-shaped.

12. The contact lens of claim 11, wherein the electronics substrate has an inner diameter that is approximately 7-9 millimeters and an outer diameter that is approximately 10-14 millimeters.

13. The contact lens of claim 11, further comprising an antenna formed along a periphery of the electronics substrate.

14. A method of manufacturing a contact lens, comprising:

providing a first mold of a plurality of molds, wherein the plurality of molds compose a shape corresponding to a contact lens cavity and wherein the first mold is composed of a shape corresponding to a first portion of the contact lens cavity;

providing a second mold of the plurality of molds, wherein the second mold is composed of a shape corresponding to a second portion of the contact lens cavity, the first portion of the contact lens cavity being complementary to the second portion of the contact lens cavity;

molding a first contact lens forming polymer (CLF polymer) and an electronics substrate in the first portion to create a first mold, wherein the electronics substrate is positioned at a predetermined distance from an edge of the first mold;

molding a second CLF polymer in the second portion to create a second mold; and

molding the first mold and the second mold together to create a contact lens such that the electronics substrate is embedded within the contact lens.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the molding the electronics substrate further comprises angling the electronics substrate such that a first region of the electronics substrate is proximate to the edge of the first mold.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the electronics substrate comprises a sensor fabricated proximate to the first region of the electronics substrate.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the electronics substrate further comprises:

a chip fabricated proximate to a second region of the electronics substrate, the second region being opposite the first region; and

an antenna positioned on a surface of the electronics substrate.

18. A method of manufacturing a contact lens, comprising:

forming an electronics substrate within the contact lens, wherein the electronics substrate is formed at an angle relative to a base of the contact lens;

providing at least two components on or within the electronics substrate; and

encapsulating the contact lens in a contact lens forming polymer (CLF polymer) layer, wherein a portion of the CLF polymer layer is formed at the angle of the electronics substrate, wherein a first region of a portion of the CLF polymer layer corresponds to a position of a first one of the at least two components, and wherein a second region of the portion of the CLF polymer layer corresponds to a position of a second one of the at least two components, wherein the first region of the portion of the CLF polymer layer has a first thickness and the second region of the portion of the CLF polymer layer has a second thickness, and wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness, such that the first component is positioned closer to the base of the contact lens than the second component.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first thickness is approximately 100-300 microns, and wherein the second thickness is approximately 5-50 microns.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the first one of the at least two components is a sensor.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the second one of the at least two components is a chip.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the forming the electronics substrate comprises forming a substantially ring-shaped electronics substrate.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing an antenna on the electronics substrate.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the CLF polymer layer comprises at least one of hydrogel, silicone elastomer, silicone hydrogel or a rigid gas permeable material.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the substrate is planar.